Clinton hopes to strike positive note as campaign enters final day

Heidi M. Przybyla, USA TODAY , KING1:01 PM. EST November 07, 2016

WHITE PLAINS, NY - NOVEMBER 07: Members of the traveling press surround Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before she boards her campaign plane at Westchester County Airport on November 7, 2016 in White Plains. (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Custom)

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Clinton entered the campaign's final day before Americans go to the polls aiming to strike a positive note following a sharply divisive election season, emphasizing that she wants "to be the president for everybody."

“I think I have some work to do to bring the country together," she told reporters Monday morning in White Plains, N.Y., before embarking on a final day of campaign stops.

"I really do want to be the president for everybody — people who vote for me and people who vote against me," she added.

Her campaign, however, is not completely steering clear of taking on Donald Trump.

At a Sunday night rally in New Hampshire, the Democratic presidential nominee was introduced by Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who challenged Trump on his rhetoric about minorities and immigrants — themes he also struck during an appearance at the July Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

“Would anyone who isn’t like you have a place in your America, Donald Trump?” Khan said before introducing Clinton to a couple thousand supporters in a hotel ballroom.

“Well thankfully, Mr. Trump, this isn’t your America,” Khan said to a roar of applause. “On Tuesday, we are going to prove America belongs to all of us.”

Clinton's final day on the campaign trail comes one day after FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress announcing that the bureau's last-minute review of emails related to its investigation of her private server had concluded with no change in its recommendation against criminal charges.

Following that announcement on Sunday, her pivot toward a more positive message became more pronounced.

Instead of spending the bulk of her address during a Cleveland stop bashing Trump, Clinton’s emphasis was on her plans for green energy, infrastructure jobs and college affordability. “My faith in our future has never been stronger,” Clinton told supporters.

She wrapped up her day Sunday in New Hampshire, where she returned to her onetime call for more “love and kindness” in America.

“We will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election,” Clinton said. “We have to begin listening to one another and respecting because our core values are being tested.”

A big part of Clinton’s strategy to drive voters to the polls has been surrounding herself with star power. In recent days, her campaign has held concerts featuring Katy Perry in Philadelphia and Beyonce and Jay-Z in Cleveland, and Bruce Springsteen will perform Monday night in Philadelphia.

In Manchester on Sunday night, it was singer-songwriter James Taylor, who performed classics such as You've Got A Friend.

Clinton also infused her speeches with some dire warnings about a Trump presidency.

In New Hampshire, she rang alarm bells about Trump’s temperament and his comments that he’s OK with allowing more countries like Saudi Arabia to acquire nuclear weapons.

“There is no veto … if the president orders a nuclear attack. There’s about a four-minute window before it happens,” she said.

Clinton heads into Election Day favored, even as polls have shown a tightening race. She is aiming for a decisive victory as she looks ahead to the potential start of her administration, when a number of Republican congressional leaders have already signaled their intention to pursue additional investigations and to block whomever she nominates to the Supreme Court.

It’s unclear how much Comey’s Sunday announcement will mitigate damage that may have already been done from his late October declaration that the FBI was reviewing a new tranche of emails related to its investigation. New Hampshire is one of the states where Clinton’s once-commanding lead has all but evaporated.

Clinton's team is taking no chances, which accounts for the Democratic nominee's multiple stops in Michigan, a blue-leaning state the campaign had considered safe.

Michigan also has a large Muslim-American population that could help in the event of a close outcome.

In introducing Clinton in Manchester, Khan read an excerpt from a 26-page letter he said he recently received from a veteran nurse who served in Europe during World War II.

“Please keep reminding America what kind of America we want to be,” he read from the note.

As she set off for a final, daylong series of campaign stops Monday, Clinton signaled that, after a campaign marked by division, she remained hopeful.

"I love this country, and I believe in our people," the Democratic nominee told reporters in New York.

"I think we will get a lot done, and I do think we will bring the country together," she said.